Top 10 Best Cities for Recent Grads

Soon, another crop of newly-minted grads will embark on their journey into the real world. One of the many exciting challenges they may face is finding a job, and a place to live.

For those who are trying to decide their next move, Apartments.com has compiled the “Top 10 Best Cities for Recent College Graduates” which measures the factors most important to new grads.

“Conventional wisdom has been to go where the job takes you,” said Dick Burke, president of Apartments.com. “However, for today’s young professionals who want to have more input into where they start their lives, our list helps identify cities that offer the best overall opportunity for employment and long-term career growth, affordable living and a vibrant culture that caters to young adults. We hope this information will help new grads feel more informed and confident about making these major life decisions.”

The seventh annual Apartments.com “Top 10 Best Cities for Recent College Graduates” list is a resource designed to help identify the best places in the country for new graduates to begin this chapter of their lives, taking into account factors such as employment opportunities, salary, affordability, age and the city’s singles scene.

The Apartments.com 2014 “Top 10 Best Cities for Recent College Graduates” list, along with the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment, includes:

The Apartments.com “Top 10 Best Cities for Recent College Graduates” list distinguishes itself from other “best-of” lists through its comprehensive view of what qualifies a city to be considered. The list takes into account affordability versus just median income, which gives advantage to cities where the average rent for a one bedroom apartment falls within the recommended 25 percent of gross median income. In addition, unemployment was a major factor in determining this seventh annual list. Cities with unemployment above seven percent were eliminated.

Burke adds, “We believe a low unemployment rate contributes to a flourishing community with more job opportunities across the board, which is good not only for entry-level positions, but also as an indicator of potential as a person moves through his or her career.”

This year’s list also takes demographics into account. Added weight was given to cities with the highest percentage of population between 25-29 years of age and men-and-women-only households, as an indicator of a high population of young singles in each city. Cities with significantly low- or high-median age for population were eliminated.

The 2014 list includes five cities that were also on the 2013 “Top 10 Best Cities for Recent College Graduates,” taking different positions on the list including:

Phoenix, AZ: Moved from #1 in 2013 down to the #3 slot this year. Austin, TX and Columbus, OH: Battling it out for #4 and #5 for two consecutive years, Austin, TX and Columbus, OH swapped spots on the list this year. Fort Worth, TX: Moved up one from its #8 position in 2013 to claim #7 this year. Dallas, TX: Moved down a spot from #9 in 2013 to #10 in 2014.

Apartments.com (http://www.apartments.com) is a leading national apartment Internet listing subscription service with more than 50,000 unique addresses representing millions of rental units from managed properties and for-rent-by-owner properties.

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